eonia (greek mythology)

02. primordial of love has the cutest love story? no surprise

eros and psyche

This story has to be one of the best love stories in all of Greek mythology, and when compared the others, is probably the most normal and not weird one. 

It all starts off with a beautiful princess who was more beautiful than her two sisters and looked like a goddess among mortals. Her name was Psyche, which meant 'soul' in Greek. Rumours of her beauty spread through her father's kingdom, and men came from everywhere to see, admire and worship her. 

People said that not even Aphrodite could compare to Psyche's beauty. People neglected the goddess, her temples were abandoned, and her altars covered in ashes. Sculptors made no more statues of her, and all honours she had went to the mortal girl who had done nothing but be born. 

Aphrodite did not like this, and asked help from Eros (her son in this version). She told him . to "Use your power and make this shameless little girl fall in love with the vilest and more despicable creature that had ever walked this Earth."

Eros agreed, but when he saw her, he felt as though he had been pierced by his own love arrows. He could not make this maiden fall in love with a horrible creature, and decided not to tell his mother this, nor that he had fallen for her. 

No one else really fell in love with Psyche, they just admired her, lusted after her, and then went and married someone else. Both her other sisters had weddings, each one with a king. Psyche might have been the most beautiful girl on the planet, but she was sad and lonely. She was admired but never loved. No man wanted her as his wife. 

Her father asked the oracle for advice. And the answer was to dress Psyche in a black dress and leave her on the summit for a mountain, alone. The husband they assigned for her, a winged serpent that was more powerful than the gods, would come and take her to be his wife. 

Psyche was in despair, and so were her family and friends. She prepared as though she were about to face her death. They left her on the summit and left, locking themselves away to mourn for her. 

In the dark, Psyche was alone, crying. Suddenly Zephyr appeared, he was the mildest of winds. He raised her and brought her to a meadow of flowers, trying his best to make her forget her pain, and make her sleep. 

The poor girl woke to the sound of a stream, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a massive castle. It looked like it belonged to a god, with gold and silver and precious stones everywhere she looked. 

An unseen voice said to her "The house is for you. Come in and do not be afraid. Take a bath, and we will immediately honour you with a great dinner."

She had never taken a more refreshing bath, nor tasted more delicious food in her life. As she was eating, she heard music around her, heard but could not see anyone playing, or any instruments. She was alone, surrounded by voices of people she could not see. 

Her husband would come at night, and only at night. He whispered to her sweetly, and even without seeing him, she knew he was no monster, and merely was a loving man that she had been waiting for so long. 

Psyche had never been happier in her life, but she felt sadness because she could not see her husband. Because she was lone, she started missing her family, and remembered that they must have been mourning her, but she was alive and happy. It was not fair to let them live without knowing the truth. 

So, that night, she asked her husband for a favour, which was to allow her sisters to visit. At first he refused, but when she appeared sad, he said, "Fine, I will allow your sisters to come up here, but I warn you now, do not let them influence you. If they do, our relationship could be ruined, and you will suffer."

Her sisters came the next day, and cried of happiness when they saw her. They saw all the treasures and the palace, envy rushing through their veins, and curiosity, of who her husband was, what he looked like, what he did for a living. All the youngest girl said was that he was a hunter. 

They did not believe her, and they told her -out of jealousy- that he must be a terrible snake of a man. "That is why he does not allow you to see his face. Because he knows if you do, you will be disgusted and leave him. Oh Psyche, how can you sleep with such a terrible creature."

From then, all Psyche could think of were those words. She doubted everything, why could she not see his face, why does he not appear in the day, what is this secret he hides from me. She forgot his warning about not letting them influence her. 

One night, when he was asleep, she lit a candle and lifted it, looking at the man. He was no monster, he was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. But, a drop of oil form the candle fell onto his arm and he awoke in pain. 

Seeing Psyche, he felt betrayed, and left the room without a word. She ran after him, but it was dark. She could only hear his heart-broken voice saying "Love cannot live without trust." Those were his last words before he flew up. 

Psyche realised that he was the god of love, and she has not trusted him. She cried for days on end, and then decided she would do anything to get him back, she would look everywhere and prove her love for him. 

Not knowing what to do, she went to Aphrodite's temple and prayed to the goddess, asking her to speak with her son and persuade him to take Psyche back. Aphrodite was still jealous, and wanted her revenge. She told the mortal woman that she needed to be sure Psyche was a good wife to her son, and that she needed to complete three tasks to prove herself. 

Psyche agreed with no hesitation, and the goddess of love led her to a dune of small seeds of wheat, poppies and many others. She was told to separate them by the afternoon or she would never be able to see Eros ever again. 

Psyche was in tears. A group of ants passing by noticed her despair, and decided to her, they all worked hard and separated the seeds into several smaller dunes. Aphrodite later said that she had not finished her work, and made Psyche sleep on the ground with no food, while she herself leaned in her soft bed. 

Aphrodite would not let her son leave his room, where he mourned Psyche's betrayal. The next morning, Aphrodite came up with another task for the young girl. She was to go to River Estige and fill a bottle with its water. 

Psyche went, and the rocks around it were steep and slippery, the water rushed through in a way that only a winged creature could approach it. An eagle saw her and took pity, it took the bottle, filled it and returned it to Psyche. Aphrodite was not happy. "Someone helped you, otherwise you would not have been able to perform this task on your own. I'm going to give you another chance to prove you are as determined as you claim to be."

She gave Psyche a box, and told her to take it to the Underworld and ask Persephone to add a drop of her beauty into it. So, she did, and Persephone was more than happy to do it. Psyche returned, happy, and gave Aphrodite the box. The goddess yelled at Psyche and told her she would be her servant forever. 

The other gods saw everything, and Hermes was sent to tell Eros of all the misfortunes his wife was going through. Eros was so touched that Psyche did all of this just for him, and it healed the betrayal. He left his room and found Psyche in his mother's garden. 

From then on, Eros and Psyche loved together happily. Psyche convinced Eros to forgive his mother, and Zeus turned her immortal as a wedding gift. She was henceforth known as the goddess of the soul.